Friction
by Moderndaydrifter
Summary: A new town where football is life, a team where losing is not an option…and a coach who has the whole season riding on his shoulders…
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Here is my first attempt at a Friday Night Lights fanfic based off of the TV show. Please let me know how it is, this is just basically a premise for what's to come and all feedback is greatly appreciated!! Hopefully will realize that this show is pretty popular and we can get our own section! Thanks in advance. :-)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or anything involved with FNL. They are only being used for my entertainment and will be given back!_

_Rating: PG-13_

_Summary: A new town where football is life, a team where losing is not an option…and a coach who has the whole season riding on his shoulders…_

_Special Thanks: To Cosmic Castaway for supporting me with this idea._

**Friction: Chapter One**

He was no stranger to Texas football. He knew all about it, how passionate the fans got, how focused the entire town was, how high the stakes were that he seemed to be gambling with, but this time he was the top man in charge. He was the head coach and the athletic director for the Dillon Panthers so now much more was at risk than just making it to the playoffs and going to state. Now his job and how long he could keep it was out in the open and in question, and the only certainty he'd have in keeping it was the simple fact of winning or losing.

A winning season proved at least one more year in Dillon, a losing one meant pack your bags and leave town with your tail tucked between your legs. He knew this when he agreed to the head coaching position; this all was something he knew like the back of his hand. He took the job with the confidence of knowing he could do it, with no doubt in his mind that he could lead these boys to the top honor in a state where football was everything and anything else was merely nothing but off season in the game of life.

One thing he didn't know about was the other stuff that came along with coaching. He'd had been in the physical education line of work for many years now but once you become the boss there's an even much greater deal of stress that comes with the territory, things that are not listed in your job description in your personnel folder placed confidentially in the superintendent's office. He cared so much for the boys on his team but he had forgotten how it was to be around teenagers with their hormones raging out of control with none of them wanting to listen to you because "you are old" or "you have no idea what I'm going through." He even dealt with that at home with his 15 year old daughter.

Out of everything going on in his life, he knew with 100 percent certainty that he loved his job, he loved his family, and he loved Texas high school football, but he had no clue what the stress could do to him and the people around him.

* * *

Staring out of the window of his Ford Explorer, Coach Eric Taylor frowned at the gray clouds that cascaded across the sky and watched as the rain puddled around the field making huge mud holes everywhere. He could already tell that today's practice would be an ugly one. He loved the rain but getting the boys to play good in it was another story, for one thing no one seemed to act normal when the weather was different, not to mention the fact that it would obviously be slick on the grass. After a few more minutes of gazing out he finally decided to make his way to the field house to prepare him and his staff for the next couple of hours of practice.

"Coach, you think we oughta practice indoors today? Maybe hit the weights a little harder than normal?"

Coach McGill waited for a response from the younger coach that managed to get the job over him, a man with over 20 years of experience with Panther football.

"Nope, the weather is beautiful out there."

Coach Taylor gave a small smirk, sitting down hard in his chair behind his desk. He glanced over some paperwork as the rest of the coaches made their way in, sitting across from him, waiting.

"It's raining cats and dogs out there," McGill replied, making another observation of the weather.

"Mmmhmm." Eric nodded, not even glancing up from his paperwork. "You do realize that there might be a game night when the weather is like this right? The only time the game is cancelled is if there is lightning. You see any lightning out there?"

"Nope."

"Okay then, tell the boys to be out on the field by 3:45, anyone who's late will be running all afternoon."

* * *

"Let's go men! We can't let a little rain stop us now can we?"

Eric kicked through a puddle that formed under their feet, watching as the mud flew in front of them. Every person that was out on the field was drenched to the bone and it was evident that they were all miserable too.

"If I see anyone drop the football we'll be out here an extra thirty minutes running suicides is that clear?"

A few mumbles could be heard here and there which seemed to light a fire with Coach Taylor.

"I said is that CLEAR?"

In unison, the team responded with a "Yes sir."

Coach Taylor continued to pace back and forth as his men ran there warm ups, not really liking what he was seeing. He expected this though, it was raining but it still did not go over well with him. Deep in his mind he was hoping that they'd somehow prove him wrong and have an immaculate practice but they were five minutes in and it already looked like JV had taken the field.

"Move it, you're running like you are stuck in the mud!"

No one seemed to pick up the pace; in fact they all slowed down a little. The rain continued to pour, only getting stronger by the minute.

"Coach, maybe we should go in. We don't need them getting sick on us." Another assistant coach stood beside him, almost hesitant to even say that to him.

"Let's do a couple of carries, then maybe we'll go in."

He nodded at his assistant, making his way to the end zone where his athletes stood and waited. He sloshed through the inch deep water that stood between his shoes and the grass beneath them, the ground was saturated and the rain had nowhere to go.

"Let's do a couple of running plays then maybe we can go in. Gentlemen, this proves that the weather is not always going to be perfect on game night. We need to be ready for whatever comes our way. You think the other teams in this area are taking the day off? They are out on their fields, busting their asses to beat teams like us that want to go in!"

He paused, lifting his hat and running his fingers through his soaked hair. "You runs these plays to perfection we can go practice indoors. You drop the ball we'll stay out here! The choice is yours! First string get on the line!"

The first play wasn't too bad. Smash took a handoff down the middle for about 7 yards. The second play was a little worse; the cause of him falling was of course the slick grass. The third play was not the charm however. Smash received the toss to the left of Saracen, a cacheable ball nonetheless that slipped through his hands and high up in the air where the defense was able to pick it off.

"Smash! SMASH! Get over here!"

Coach Taylor waited patiently as the mud covered running back jogged towards him.

"You wanna tell me what the hell just happened son?"

"Coach, that ball is slick, you happen to notice the rain?"

Eric gave an annoyed smirk, placing his hand on Smash's shoulder. "You notice that you just caused the whole team to run for what you just said?"

"C'mon coach!"

"Get on the line, everybody go on my whistle and you don't stop until I say!" Blowing the whistle, the men began to run as Coach Taylor paced back and forth on the sideline. "Our actions gentlemen, can cost everyone some trouble." He had no idea how much irony was in the statement he delivered to his team. He didn't realize that his stress was causing not only him but also his team problems.

McGill was also noticing this. Maybe Coach Taylor was just having a bad day. Maybe he was just agitated that he had a great practice scheduled and that good old Texas weather said otherwise. He wasn't sure and quite frankly he was happy to leave it alone, he didn't want to put fuel on a fire that was already out of control.

* * *

"Where's Julie tonight?" Eric asked his wife Tami, not taking his eyes off of the game film he was watching. Tami was sitting next to him, reading a book and not really paying attention to anything else around her.

"Studying over at a friends house."

He leaned forward in his recliner, pausing the TV.

"She ever plan on spending some time with her parents?" It seemed every time he asked about his daughter or wanted to see her she was either off "studying" or out with Matt, something he never approved of in the first place.

Tami shrugged. She had taken notice to how short fused he was.

"Is there something wrong Eric?"

He leaned back again but kept the videotape on pause. "What makes you say that? I'd just like to see my daughter sometimes, I'm starting to forget what she looks like."

"Do you realize what you are saying?"

He sent her a blank stare. "I'm speaking English aren't I?"

"She's here more than you think but half the time you have your face stuck to game film or stuck in a play book or you are out of the house by six in the morning to get to early meetings. Between you and Julie you are gone more than she is and yes I do realize it's football season but we all have our commitments and also find time for family. Lately you seem to forget what that word means."

He rocked back and forth, not really sure what to say to his now heated wife. He of course would be defensive back to her; he never liked to admit when he was wrong but who did?

"I'm like this every football season. The expectations of winning make it where I do have to put some sort of focus in football."

"Some but not all."

He stood up, turning the TV all the way off. "I can't talk to you when you are like this. I'm going to bed."

She couldn't help but laugh, not because it was funny but the fact that she was annoyed and didn't want to say something she'd regret.

"Eric, you better get over whatever it is that's bothering you because this mood you are in is getting old really fast!"

She was seriously getting worried about her husband. He had been stressed out before during football season but not like this, to the point that he was making himself and everyone around him miserable as well. She'd let him cool down and go talk to him later, there was no point in it at the moment when things would just go in one ear and out the other.

_Again, thanks for reading and let me know what you think! ;-)_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's Note: _**_This story is still somewhat moving slow, what can I say you gotta kinda get the background of things going before the real drama can happen, so I hope there are still some readers out there. I assure you the action should pick up soon, thanks for your interest in it!_

_**Special Thanks**: To you reviewers out there who have taken the time to read and reply to me. I appreciate it so much**. Reid, asnowybunny,** and **Elizabethxanne**, thanks for responding. Your kind words help me out! Thanks again! _

_**Disclaimer: **Still don't own them, please don't sue!_

_**Timeline: **Right around after Coach Taylor gets issued with the lawsuit from the Street family and when Julie begins to hang out with Tyra, but before where we are currently in the series. _

**Friction: Chapter Two**

Eric tried so hard that night to go to sleep, to close his eyes tightly and not think about everything that was on his mind. It was still raining that evening, the rain pounding on a nearby window was a constant reminder to him about the horrible practice the Panthers had that afternoon. Tami still hadn't come to bed but the house was silent, she was probably still sitting on the couch, reading.

He quickly rolled over, facing inward to where his wife normally lay beside him, this time only revealing cold sheets. Why did he have to feel so miserable? All of the anger and frustration he was feeling was something that came with his job, a job that he used to love to wake up to every morning but now dreaded it.

Life was a lot more simple when he wasn't the head of things but never in a million years would he turn down the job of being a head coach, it was just something that he seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to. So many of the athletes on the team turned to him as a father figure, Buddy Garrity was breathing down his neck and so bad did he just want to punch his lights out, and then of course his team and the state playoffs. Worst of all and the main thing on his mind was his daughter Julie and the crowd she had started to hang out with. He was a bit surprised about how much his innocent child had changed so quickly, but this was all new to him along with everything else going on.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, which caused him to jump, but he rolled over yet again, seeing his wife sitting on the edge of the bed. He stayed quiet, hoping she'd speak first.

"Eric, you want to talk about anything?"

He ran his hands over his hair, only seeing the silhouette of his wife in the moonlight. He didn't want her to know all of the frustration he was going through. For some reason he had this idea in his head that he had to look like a strong person all of the time, a man that never got discouraged from a challenge presented to him.

"No, I'm just tired and I didn't want to argue." The minute he said that he knew his wife would see right through that; she could always tell when he was trying to make excuses.

She looked away and down at the floor. "You didn't even want to stay up for when Julie got home? You said yourself that you never see her."

"I wasn't sure how late she'd be."

"Eric, being tired is not the problem. You are always tired during football season, but never this cranky all of the time. I'm just trying to help out, you know? Be your friend."

He grabbed her hand, squeezing it. It was always comforting to know that you had the support you had at your home, no matter the circumstances. They didn't care if you won or lost, they didn't care about your style and techniques, they loved you for the person you were, not how your win loss record looked.

"It's just been a tough week. I'll get over it like I do everything else." He sat up, leaning in for a small kiss on the lips. "Thanks for caring."

* * *

The next morning proved to be more promising, the gray clouds had drifted off but it was hot and muggy, the humidity reaching around 95. Deep puddles had formed in the low lying areas of streets and ditches and the ground was moist from the saturation of the pure liquid that had fallen from the sky all day yesterday. Eric sat silently at his desk, thinking up new drills and ways to get the team pumped up for their next practice that afternoon.

He felt like he had ADHD or something, he'd go to write and it felt as if someone was turning the channel in his mind. One minute he'd be thinking about the drill, the next it was something totally random. He stared at the picture frame that contained a photograph of his family that was sitting adjacent to him next to a mound of paperwork. It had been taken about 4 months back, right after he had found out he'd be the new head coach for the 2006-2007 football season, back when things were a little more simple.

Licking his lips and adjusting the baseball cap on his head, he pushed down the led of the pencil onto the paper but this time it wasn't his mind that interrupted him, it was Buddy Garrity who knocked and allowed himself in.

"Eric, you got a minute?" He sat down across from him, not even allowing him to answer.

Coach stared at him a moment, trying to hid his annoyance. "Hey Buddy, I'm kinda busy right now."

"Oh aren't we all?" He gave a small laugh, pulling the door too as if he was ready to talk about something-top secret. "I hear that the team didn't have a good practice yesterday."  
Eric leaned back in his chair, causing it to squeak a little bit from the ware and tear it had been encountering. He folded his arms across his chest, waiting for Buddy to continue, even better he was hoping he'd just get up and leave. The last thing he wanted or in fact needed was this cocky man in his office.

Taking note to Eric's silence, he spoke again. "The boosters are worried that the boys are losing focus, hell maybe it's you that's losing focus."

"The boosters think that or you are? Don't hide behind the boosters, if it's just you say it." He didn't care if Buddy was the leader of the booster club, it was a lame excuse he'd use on him all the time about concerns he had.

"Okay, I'm worried that everyone's attention span is dwindling."

"Well quite frankly Buddy, I don't think it's any of your business. I appreciate the support you bring to this team but I assure you we are on top of doing what needs to be done. As I said a few minutes ago, I'm a little busy right now, we can talk about this later."

Buddy stood up, adjusting his jacket as he did. "You bet we will."

Coach Taylor watched as he made his exit, then let out a long sigh after he was completely gone. The planning for practice that afternoon would have to be put on hold, his mind was so jumbled up he couldn't even hear himself think.

* * *

Julie Taylor really hadn't noticed much about her dad and his change in attitude about things. But then again, she hadn't been home a lot and she wasn't really paying attention to him despite the fact that she probably should have been. She made it home at about 4:15 and was surprised that her mother was already home. Usually she was home after 5:00, staying after school to help students on things.

"Hey mom, what are you doing home so early?"

"I didn't have any appointments with anyone so I got out of there as quick as I could. I've just been exhausted."

Julie nodded as she rummaged through the refrigerator. Pulling out a gallon jug of orange juice, she poured a glass and drank it down.

"Can I go see a movie with Matt tonight?"

Tami arched her eyebrow as she leaned over the bar. She wasn't sure if Julie cared about ever seeing her dad or if she really wasn't keeping up with it. She shook her head and patted the stool beside her, inviting Julie to sit next to her. Eric hadn't admitted that he was totally upset about it, but his little blow up the night before was enough evidence for her to try and fix it.

"I think you should stay home and spend some time with us tonight."

Julie's facial expression was enough for Tami to break in again before she could throw a fit about it.

"You have been going out every night this week, I can't remember the last time you actually had a sit down meal with us. What's the shame in wanting to stay home every now and then? Believe me when you get older you are going to be wishing for quiet evenings at home."

Julie frowned, folding her arms over her chest. "Yeah, but not with my parents! I already told him I could go mom."

"Then I guess you better cancel it, because you are staying home tonight." She wanted to ask Julie if she had noticed anything about her dad but she left it alone at the moment. It was pretty evident that the only answers she'd get from her daughter at the moment were short one-word answers with teenage attitude behind them.

* * *

"Gentlemen, I hope we can have a much more improved practice this afternoon. Let's have fun today!" He paced back and forth in front of his team. "Maybe a little more football and a little less conditioning, the choice is yours. 1st string on the line, let's make this perfect!"

The coaches all stood to the side, observing the drills being run. Coach Taylor took notice to spectators watching, one of them of course was Buddy Garrity standing on the sideline as if he were part of the coaching staff. He wanted to kick him off the field so bad, but he if he did that then he'd have to tell everyone else watching to leave and that was unnecessary.

"Let's run 38 double action cross, 1st string!"

The play was sloppy but Riggins gained about 7 yards on the carry. It of course was not good enough for Coach; it seemed about the only thing that would make him happy was sheer perfection, something that of course could not be mastered by humans.

"That play should've been 6 on the scoreboard. What happened Riggins?"

Winded and out of breath, Riggins approached him, pointing to his blockers. "My line didn't block for me."

Eric shook his head. "No, no, you failed to see the gaps! I guess you boys are in to running. You better clean it up!"

Some mumbles from behind the huddle were spoken, but out of the coach's earshot.

"What is coach's problem?"

"He's making football suck. This isn't fun."

Luckily the practice ran a tad bit smoother after that, and at around 5:30 they called it a day. Coach Taylor could breath a little easier but still was not exactly thrilled about the way his team was playing, not at the level of competition they were in.

* * *

The smell of chicken could be smelled from the front porch as Eric walked into the house, smiling at his wife who was in the kitchen cooking something that put him in a better mood. He walked to her, giving her a small kiss and lifting the lid off of the pot on the stove.

"Mmm, something smells delicious."

"I'm making chicken and dumplings. Julie is in her room if you want to see her."

"I guess I better hurry before she makes her exit for the evening."

"She'll be staying here tonight, I thought a nice meal together would be just what the doctor ordered."

The meal was great, the family time was excellent, and for the first time in several weeks Eric could honestly say that he felt wonderful. He got to actually talk to Julie, he laughed, and they all caught up on life in general. He still didn't let it slip that he was stressed out about things, but little did he know that it would soon be revealed to most people, not just a suspicion. His mind was basically a time bomb that was ticking, and the more he kept it bottled up inside the more it built up, ready to explode and boil over into a huge mess.

Right now all he knew was that he was happy, all the frustrations and stress from the weeks before was not present, but not gone away either.

TBC….

_Please let me know if I should continue, thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/n: **Here is chapter three of Friction, I hope there are still some people interested in this! I swear there's not enough time in the day to get things done, and well, my muse has been on a vacation as well. I think it likes a good long break after an update, but I'll try my best with Chapter Four! _

_**Timeline: **In the middle of the season, right around when the lawsuit from the Street family is issued. Also, I wanted to remind you about the time the kid got kicked off of the team for beating up a non-athlete, that's going to come into play._

_**Special Thanks: **First off, to **Cosmic Castaway** for helping me read over it and listen to me complain about how long it has taken me to update. Secondly to **asnowybunny, reid, Eyes-of-pearl, Maryilee, **and **Kit. **Thanks for your reviews and feedback, I appreciate it so much!_

_**Disclaimer: **Nothing has changed, the characters still do not belong to me! (sigh) It's just for our entertainment and no money is being made off of them!_

**Friction: Chapter Three**

Staring at a pile of paperwork on his desk, Coach Taylor suddenly had the urge to go talk to his wife. He couldn't help but think of the night before, how everything was perfect, Julie was there to eat with them and he could say that he was actually happy for the first time in several months. He hesitated, thinking about Tami and how busy her day usually was and how it seemed like he always interrupted a meeting between her and a student. Frowning, he threw a folder across the desk and decided it would be best to wait.

Mac interrupted him anyway, knocking as he entered his office. He sat down, a frown painted across his face as he did.

"Coach, I been thinking about our game on Friday."

Eric nodded, waiting for him to go on. Frankly he hadn't even thought about the game coming up, there seemed to be things up higher on his priority list which was sad to say since it was football season and that usually ranked second after his family.

"Their linemen are huge, and are quick. We are going to have to think about our blockers and how we are going to protect Matt. You have any ideas?"

Eric leaned back in his chair as he contemplated Mac's question. He took his blue baseball cap off his head, running his fingers through his hair. He seemed to always do that when he was thinking hard about something or when he was jittery. It was a nervous tick he picked up when he was a kid.

"McGill, I'm going to be honest with you right now." His voice was low as he leaned forward. "It's Tuesday afternoon and I haven't even thought about Friday yet."

Mach arches his eyebrow. It was a dead giveaway that Coach Taylor was not being himself. This was a coach that thought about every game back in May and June, long before football season was even there.

"Why is that Coach?"

He stared out the window, then back at his assistant. "I've just got some other things on my mind, that's all." He didn't' want to unload on McGill, for one thing they weren't close enough for him to vent about personal things, and for another he just didn't want to talk to anyone but Tami, and he was hesitant about that as well.

"C'mon Taylor, this coming from a guy that starts thinking about future games when the new team schedule comes out."

Eric tried hard not to lose his temper with him, he was only trying to be a friend and do his job. "Look Mac, everything is fine. We'll prepare for the linemen today in practice." He paused, taking in a deep breath. "I'm kind of busy right now though, I'll talk to you later." He didn't come out and say it but that should've been Mac's cue to leave, and he got the hint and walked out the door, not saying another word to him.

Eric averted his attention back to the mound of paperwork he had in front of him but he still could not focus on the job at hand. The only thing that his mind could think up was go see Tami, it was almost time for lunch anyway so that would be his main excuse.

* * *

Luckily she wasn't with a student so he didn't have to interrupt anything, but his entrance definitely caught her off guard, but it was a good surprise nonetheless. He leaned in and kissed her; thankful that he had her or he'd go crazy.

"What's up, hon?" She asked, noticing the frown on his face, which was expected during the fall months of football.

He shrugged. "Wondering if you want to go get some lunch."

"Definitely, what do you have in mind?"

"You decide, I'm tired of making decisions."

"Okay then, let's go, I'll drive."

He followed her to the parking lot, both remaining silent. He buckled his seat belt; all of his problems were ready to just pour out of his mouth. He tried not to show much worry though; his wife was a worry detector, especially with him.

"You got something on your mind again?"

He glanced at her through the corner of his eye, the remark was almost annoying to him. "I've always got something on my mind."

"You wanna talk about it or let it bottle up inside until you explode."

He shifted his weight in the seat, watching the cars beside them. "That's actually why I wanted to go to lunch with you. I have got to talk to someone, I'm becoming someone I hate."

She nodded, letting him do all the speaking.

"Of course, the main thing right now is that damn lawsuit. We both know we don't make enough money to support Jason the rest of his life. We can't even afford to pay them an amount each month." He rested his head on the headrest, now glaring at the ceiling of the car, hoping she'd respond.

"Well honey, that's inevitable. We don't know how it's going to end. They can't ask for money that we don't have. I guess, the best thing to do in this situation is not fret until it happens, not cross that bridge until we come to it."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek; sometimes he really hated that type of advice, to not worry about it. That was so much easier said than done but coming from Tami it really made him breath a little easier, probably because of the simple fact that the lawsuit included her and she had every right to worry as well. Sometimes he wished that he had her attitude, but he wasn't blessed with a happy go lucky point of view on life.

"Yeah, I think it's just overwhelming. Something else to add to my fire I've got going."

"Well what else is there? Enlighten me."

He smirked. "Enlighten you? More like bore you. The pressure this town is putting on me is getting to me. I don't like admitting it because it's part of my job, but some of these people here in Dillon are psycho."

The psycho comment made Tami giggle. "No, it's not part of your job to be threatened to be fired over one loss. People in this town need to get back to the basics of sports and the fact that they are around for one thing, and that's having fun."

They pulled in to the restaurant parking lot but both stayed in the car. The conversation was going so well that neither wanted to break the other's concentration.

"Yeah, exactly. I try to urge that to my players everyday but they feel the same pressure by all the Buddy Garrity's around here."

She gave him a smile that always made his heart melt, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "Honey, if you lose games it's okay. I'm sure here in Dillon it's not okay to the people who live here and if you lose your job because of it then so be it. If they fire a man for a few losses then being here isn't worth our time anyway. We'll find another school that'll welcome you, you know other districts are dying to have you anyway."

He kissed her again. She really did make him feel better but that was no surprise, she could always do that to him since they started dating way back.It felt as if all of his problems had flown out of the window.

"Thanks Tami, you really are great with advice you know that?"

"That's what I do. I'm glad I could help you."

He kissed her yet again. "I promise I'll try to be more happy. I'll try and see the positive. I've been a real jerk lately."

"I can't argue with that, and I'm glad to hear that. Let's get something to eat."

* * *

Practice that day started at 3:45, and Coach felt so relaxed. The chat with Tami really did play a huge part with his attitude, like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. The weather was perfect as well and he had a feeling things would start looking up for them.

All of his men were standing on the line in the end zone wondering what coach had up his sleeve today, trying to read his body language to see if they could somehow see what kind of mood he was in. A few muttered under their breath as he approached his team.

"Gentlemen, I need to have a small chat with you for a minute." He smiled, looking down the line at each and every one of them. "I want to apologize for the way I've been acting the past couple of weeks. I have gotten lost in the demands that this town asks of us as the Dillon Panthers when really I should've cared about you guys rather than people that are not even associated with us. You all know how it can be here, where winning is expected. Every one of us out here on this field knows damn well that the sport of football is not all about winning. We play this sport because we love it, we play this sport because we are good at it, and we play this sport because it is fun! Someone told me that we need to get back down to basics, no glitz and glamour. No show boating, no outside people demanding things out of our grasp, just us and our opponent on the field, playing the greatest game ever invented. You hear me, gentlemen?"

"Yes sir!"

"What was that, I can't hear you!"

"YES SIR!"

"Who are we?"

"THE DILLON PANTHERS, SIR!"

"Clear eyes…full hearts.."

"CAN'T LOSE!"

* * *

(Later that evening)

Loud music could be heard down the street as a very angry teenager stared out into the backyard from his kitchen table. Frustration could be felt as he continued to look, a blank expression on his face as one solitary tear fell down his left cheek and to the hard surface below him. He couldn't believe it, that he had gotten kicked off of the football team, something that had been part of his whole life since he could remember.

In his mind he didn't do wrong, beating up that kid was something that he did all of the time, and suddenly this new coach gets on a power trip and kicks him off of the team, taking away the only thing that mattered in his life. Who did he think he was?

The whole incident happened a few weeks back and he let the inner angst and hatred brew inside of him and it was now to a boiling point, ready to spew over. Kicking him off the team was wrong, he thought, and no one was going to get away with it.

He had to figure out a way to get back at Coach Taylor and it would have to be quick, he was ready to take care of his problem for good.

_TBC…._


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:**__ I know a lot of you are wondering where the heck I've been. I don't want to hand you any excuses or lame lines, let's just say that since storm season has started my muse has hibernated. What can I say, it has it's season's backwards! Here is chapter four though, and I won't babble too much so you can get to reading!_

_**Special Thanks: **__To __**Riggins33, asnowybunny, **__and __**Maryilee.**__ I really do appreciate you guys taking the time to read and give me feedback, it makes it that much more worthwhile. Since you take the time to do that, I'll bust my butt to get chapter five out for you!_

_**Timeline: **__Smack dab in the middle of the season when the lawsuit and all that drama was issued. _

**Friction: Chapter Four**

The evening after practice looked promising. Both Tami and Julie were home, finishing up supper as Coach Taylor walked through the door. He was in a great mood because practice rolled smoothly, especially since he apologized for his actions. The boys seemed to play a lot smoother when everyone was connecting. Walking up behind Tami, he wrapped his arms around her waste, kissing the back of her head.

"Hey hon, it smells great." He pulled away, standing beside her as he watched her do the final touches on their spaghetti.

She smirked. "You look great."

He cocked his head to the side, not sure whether to take that as a compliment or a cut down, but that was Tami and he knew she only meant well. He didn't reply to it, just let those words settle in as he helped Julie set the table.

"How was your day honey?" He asked, hoping his daughter was in a good mood.

"Good, just went to school and dance practice, that's about it."

"That's good to hear."

They all sat down to eat, and pretty much talked about their day. Eric also apologized to them about how he had been acting and smoothed things out with them, promising that things would be different around the house. The stresses of the job of course were not gone, but he was slowly learning to cope with them a little better than before.

That night he and Tami just laid in the darkness of the room, talking and enjoying their time together.

"We probably should be trying to get some sleep seeing as it's after midnight, but getting to talk to you is just as refreshing as sleep." Eric laughed after that comment; almost embarrassed that he said that. "Yeah, that was a bit corny."

Tami ran her hands through his hair. "It was corny, but it's true. I'm glad to see you smile again."

He rolled on to his side, completely facing her. "I want your honest opinion about something."

She nodded, not saying a word as she waited for him to finish.

"What do you think of Dillon?"

She leaned back on her pillow, her brow creasing as she let that question hang heavy over them. "Well hon, that's a very good question." She hated the fact that she hesitated but she honestly couldn't answer this very quickly.

"Well what's your gut reaction?"

She propped her head up on her elbow, still trying to come up with an answer. "Gut reaction is that I have mixed feelings about it." She licked her lips, she never knew this could be such a hard question. "I like this town when the pressures of football are not shadowing over us. I hate this town when it does what it did to you recently."

He nodded, smoothing out the blanket between them. "I was just wondering. I think it's a good town, the right size population wise, there are good people here. I think I'm with you though, but frankly the pressures of football will be in any town we are in here in the state of Texas, we just never felt it like we have because I've never been the head coach."

"That's right. We've just gotta adjust, and I think we are good at that. Nothing can tear us up." She pulled him in for a kiss, pulling the covers over their head as she did.

The next morning looked promising, the sun was out, the humidity was comfortable, and a small breeze could be felt. Coach Taylor loved waking up like he did, beside his wife after a restful and relaxing night with her near him. He almost wanted to call in sick just so they could be together all day, but that wouldn't be wise since they had a game the next day and getting his boys ready was extremely important.

He took his time getting ready, enjoying his shower and slowly drinking a cup of coffee as he glanced over the Dillon newspaper. Julie and Tami went to school earlier than he did usually so he had the house to himself at the moment; the quietness allowed his mind to think about things.

He wondered what all of the fanatics did when football season was over. Did they pressure him even more to have a strict off-season? Did they die down and go quiet for that few months? Or did they carry on as usual? Off-season, something that seemed so far away at the moment, something that shouldn't even be on Eric's mind. He finished his last sip of coffee and folded the newspaper up. It was time to head to work, a big preparation day was before him, Thursday's were always more focused mentally and more resting physically to have stamina for the next day.

* * *

Reyes woke up nervous. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, all he knew was something had to be done. He had spent way too many nights lying there in bed, wondering what might have been if he was still on the football team. In his head it was extremely unfair that Coach Taylor had kicked him off. No one had ever done that to him, he always got away with doing the things he did. That's probably where he got the assumption that what he was doing was acceptable, he was a jock for crying out loud. Coach Taylor was a dam in his plans, stopping things up and hurting his future in sports.

_Something had to be done._

He couldn't even look his mother in the eye when he went downstairs for breakfast. Things would probably not be the same if he went through with what his plan was. But then again, he should get away with what he wanted, that's what he thought anyway.

"Son, you okay?" His mom could read him like a book and knew he had a lot weighing on his mind. Since the day he was no longer a Dillon Panther it seemed as if a light flickered off inside of him and all he ever did was sit alone and listen to loud rock music all the time.

"Fine, I'm just tired." It took all of his energy just to say that to her. "I'll see you this afternoon." After everything was taken care of with Coach Taylor, after all of the problems were solved….hopefully.

He walked to the garage, pulling out his father's colt revolver from behind his workbench. Dad thought he was hiding it there but his son seemed to always find everything, he had a knack for that. He slid it into his jacket pocket, thankfully it was baggy enough that no one would be able to tell.

'Things are going to be different in about an hour', He thought to himself.

* * *

Coach Taylor and Mac were doing what they always do on Thursday mornings, and that's watch game film of there own team as well as their opponent they were meeting up with the next day, if it was available. Eric had watched this exact tape about a million times in the past week but each time he viewed it, it seemed like he caught something new, just like when you watch a movie over and over again.

"Did you see that Mac?"

Grabbing the remote, he rewound to the spot that he caught.

"What?"

"Their boys all give cushion through the middle when we show we are passing. Maybe if we fake a pass and have Smash run it up the middle we can run all over them all night long."

Mac nodded. "Until they catch on."

"Maybe it'll be too late when they do, I guess it's worth a shot."

It was like that every Thursday morning, up until about 10:30 when Mac had his first driver's education class he had to start teaching. That's when Eric would begin making out a practice schedule for the day which usually took him until about lunchtime when he'd meet up with Tami. At the moment though, they just sat and watched for any clue they could use to break open the bracket between themselves and their opponent.

This particular morning he cut it short. He had the sudden urge to go visit his wife at her office. He had been enjoying her company so much that a short break seeing her would be perfect.

"Mac, let's take 15. I need a lil' break."

Mac nodded, pausing the TV. "Okay, meet you back here in a bit."

* * *

Reyes's heart pounded as he made his way up the stairs of the front entrance of the school. Everyone was walking around, making their way to first period with no care in the world. He could feel his palms grow cold and clammy and his mouth go dry from the adrenaline that was pumping through his body. He had to do this. Time to stand up and show everyone that you are not one to be pushed around, especially by a first year head coach who couldn't even accomplish and undefeated season.

He nodded towards a couple of his buddies, trying to not lead them on that something was about to happen. He knew Mrs. Taylor's office was around the corner and that was a sudden decision of his. Focus on the people that Coach Taylor cared and loved for the most, his family. Even if he didn't physically hurt the coach himself, hurting one of his family members would be just as painful emotionally.

Her door was open and inside was Julie and herself. Tami noticed the uncertainty in Reyes's body language.

"You need to talk about something, hon?" She asked, motioning for him to come in.

He nodded but was startled when Coach Taylor passed by him, walking into the small office as well.

'This is all too perfect', he thought. His nerves were still very tense though, and now he was second-guessing himself in fear that he'd back out and never go through with it. Swallowing hard, he stepped back, talking himself in to not running away. He couldn't live with himself if he did. He had what he wanted right in front of him, the entire Taylor family standing in that very office he was at.

"You look busy…" He trailed off and quickly pulled the handgun from his pocket, pointing it right at all three of them.

Coach Taylor's first instinct was to stand in front of Tami and Julie, and that's what he did, making sure his body was blocking both of there's. He knew Reyes had a temper but not to the point of pulling a gun in school like this.

"Reyes, son, don't do anything you are going to regret now."

Eric held his hands up in front of himself, trying not to make any sudden movements that would startle the confused teenager. His heart was beating so hard and fast that he swore everyone around them could hear it. Deep down he was hoping someone in offices nearby saw what was playing out and was on the phone to 911 that very moment, but little did he know that everyone was now in their classrooms, beginning the day like they normally did.

"I'm not your son. Don't ever call me son!" Reyes's hand shook as he screamed at them.

Eric was somehow thankful he decided to take that break. He wasn't sure if it was coincidence or what, normally he didn't do this and that made the situation that much more strange.

"What is it that you need?"

Tami's voice could be heard from behind Eric but she remained seated with the same idea in mind that you don't want to move too much around an unstable person. Julie remained quiet; she was way too scared to even think about doing a thing.

"I NEEDED to be on the FOOTBALL TEAM!"

Coach Taylor knew that some negotiating had to begin because nothing was going to happen unless he talked him through this. Sweat began to pour from his brow. Surely someone had heard him yell and knew there was a situation.

"Reyes, we can solve this problem once you put that gun down. I'll sit down and talk to you face to face, man to man." He kept his voice low, trying to stay calm for his family.

Reyes shook his head no. "We can solve the problem by pulling the trigger." Within a split second after those words fell out of his mouth, a loud gunshot could be heard, echoing throughout the halls of Dillon High School, a few screams, and then the eeriest silence anyone had ever heard…

_TBC…..I usually hate cliffhangers but I figured this is a good spot to stop for now..I promise a quicker update this time and I understand if a lot of you readers out there do not believe me! I wouldn't believe it either! Hope you are still enjoying!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/n: **I promised a quick update, so here it is! This chapter is basically more emotions rather than dialogue and there is some religious stuff in it as well. _

_**Special Thanks: **Maryilee, reid, magill, Aldea0402, and JoeDUDE for your awesome reviews! I hope you are still reading and thanks so much for taking the time to review me!_

_**Disclaimer: **Still don't own them!_

_**Chapter Five**_

They say that silence is just that…silence. Those are also the few people that had never experienced such an eerie silence; a type of silence that can be so loud that you wished you could just close your eyes and get away from it. No one moved, no one said anything; no one really even knew what had just happened.

Reyes stood still, staring at what had just transpired in front of him, the very events that were caused by his own hand. At that moment he knew he was in a lot of trouble but he could not move because he was sent into shock at the site in front of him. Slowly backing away, he dropped the gun; the loud clank of the metal broke all silence in the vicinity. He felt a firm grasp on his arm, the principal had came around the corner after the shooting had stopped.

"Oh my God." That was all that the principal could muster out of his mouth.

Tami took a second to gain her composure. What had just happened? Reyes was there, screaming at them and the next she was on the floor, guarded by her desk. She could not get her heart to calm down; her adrenaline was going so fast that she couldn't even stop to see the scene that lay out before her. She braced herself on the desk as she pulled her body up, peaking over the edge to try and get a better idea of the nightmare she had just lived.

Julie was okay. She was beside her mother but so scared that she couldn't even move a muscle. All she could think was that Reyes was still there and for all she knew he could pull the trigger once more. She didn't want to panic though but it took all of what she had to not scream more than she did.

"Eric?" Tami noticed her husband's body on the other side of the desk. Sadly he had nothing in between himself and Reyes when the shooting erupted and now his body was motionless in front of everyone. Fear took over when the site of blood came in to view.

"Eric?" She said again, moving towards him. He wasn't responding but his eyes were halfway open. "Get an ambulance!"

She knelt down beside him fighting off the urge to throw up. "Eric, look at me, try to keep your eyes open." She averted her eyes up, seeing her daughter standing adjacent to them, tears flooding her eyes at the site of her father. Her emotions began to flood like torrential downpours. There her daughter was about to breakdown and her husband shot in the stomach right there on the linoleum floor.

'Keep it together Tami,' she thought as more people began to crowd around, most in shock at the site of the head football coach sprawled out and so vulnerable. It didn't take long for EMS to arrive. It all seemed like slow motion to her as they pushed her aside and went to work. All she could think to do was hold on to Julie and pray. She always viewed Eric as the strong one, never the one that appeared as he did. His eyes were so glazed over as he stared up; almost as if his body was still there but his mind had floated off.

'He stepped in front of us.' It had just hit her that he pushed them behind, taking them out of the initial threat of where the bullet would go. A single tear trailed down her cheek but she quickly wiped it away. She had to be strong for Julie and for Eric, just in case he was realizing what was going on.

Staring down at the action below them, the view of her husband was obstructed by 3 paramedics as well as a couple of police officers. It was a dream. It had to be. This was Dillon, Texas. How in the hell could this happen here in such a tranquil town? What had this family done to cause such anger in a young man? She snapped back to reality when she heard the medics recite all of what possibly could be wrong with Eric.

"Single gunshot wound to the abdomen." The medic recited the medical information in to his radio for the emergency room that was standing by. "Severe bleeding, patient is conscious at the moment."

One of the other medics tilted his head just enough to make sure his airway was secure and open and that his breathing wasn't labored. It took all of the energy Eric had to keep his eyes open, as if he was dozing off for some really good sleep.

"Keep your eyes open for us," the medic replied as he checked Eric's pupils for dilation with a small flashlight. "We need you to stay awake Coach." The medic looked up at his partner, a solemn expression on his face. "We need to make sure he's completely stabilized before we transport, I'm not sure if it hit a hollow or solid organ, and the aorta is near where the wound is at."

The aorta? That medical term frightened Tami. The aorta was a major artery that would make him bleed to death if it was damaged; she had remembered a student telling her about it. She just wanted to grab his hand, to hold him tight, and to restart this day and do things different. Both of them had talked about calling in sick, the night before was one of the best evenings they had together in a long time. Funny how something so excellent can take a turn for the worse so quickly and dramatically.

It was just a normal day, that's all it started out to be. The Texas sun showed great promise that it would be a scorcher, they had their morning coffee at the kitchen table, and Julie and her left the house about 20 minutes before Eric did like they did every other morning of the school year.

Now here they were, her husband on the cold, dirty floor with a wound so terrifying that all she wanted to do was close her eyes and wake up with him next to her in bed, revealing that this was all a figment of her imagination.

"Okay, let's get him on a backboard." The medic's voice drew her attention back in.

It seemed with every second that passed by he grew more pale. His eyelids kept closing and opening until he finally had to leave them shut, it was just too much work to fight with them. He was still awake though, his body still had not lost consciousness, but he was not coherent in the least bit. In fact, he had no idea why everyone was standing over him, and why his wife looked so distraught. He tried to speak but nothing came out, it felt as if pins shot through his body when he tried to do anything, even so much as breathe out.

"On the count of three, lift. One…two…three." They lifted the backboard up on to the gurney, finally wheeling him down the hall and in to the back of the ambulance.

Panic began to overtake Eric when more pain shot through his body. He could not remember what had happened. Why were faint images and people's faces looking over him? Where was Tami? Julie? How did he get this way? He quickly lifted his arm up and ripped the oxygen mask off of his face. He didn't need it, he was fine! It felt as if someone was squeezing his insides as hard as they could, it was a pain that he definitely had never experienced in his 41 years.

The paramedic on the right grabbed the mask, forcing it back over the coach's face but felt Eric's resistance as he fought it off once more.

"Coach Taylor, you need to leave the mask on!"

Eric began to mumble, but it was so jumbled that no one could make sense of it, not even himself. He tried once more to lift the mask off of his face but his own body defeated him. It wanted nothing more than to sleep and that's what he continued to fight off as best as he could. Staring up at the gray ceiling of the ambulance, he finally allowed himself to doze off.

"He just went unconscious, we need to get this ambulance moving!"

* * *

The ride to the hospital seemed like ages to both Julie and Tami. They did not allow either of them in the back of the ambulance, and quite frankly Tami was relieved about that part. She didn't think she could take another minute of seeing her husband going through so much pain and torture. Thankfully one of the secretaries in the main office offered to drive them, she was in no frame of mind to operate a vehicle at the moment. Things were still moving in slow motion for her, hence the fact that the three-mile drive to the hospital seemed like a drive to Austin.

All Julie could think about was the events that had just played out for them. One minute she was stopping by her mom's office to grab some money for lunch, the next her father was on the floor in his own pool of blood. She hated Reyes for doing this. She didn't even know him well and hated him despite the fact that she probably should not think about him at the moment.

The SUV came to a stop outside of the ER doors and neither spoke as they got out, hoping that Eric was back in a room getting taken care of. Tami grabbed on to Julie, finally allowing a few more tears to fall. Screw being tough, she just couldn't take it anymore.

"Mom, it's okay." That's all Julie could think to say. "Dad's strong, he'll be fine."

Tami nodded, pulling her in to the tightest hug she had ever given anyone. She said nothing as they approached the nurse's station where a ward clerk was fidgeting through some files.

"Can I help you?" Her thick accent was almost so bad that they couldn't understand her.

"Eric Taylor just came in on ambulance…" Tami paused, running her fingers through her hair. It was a nervous reaction she always had. "Can you tell me the status of that?" Her voice quivered.

The lady typed on the computer and turned to ask one of the nurses that had just passed by. Their conversation was a small whisper so they couldn't make out what was said.

"He's being looked at right now. Dr. Piendaz is back there with him. Are you next of kin?"

Tami nodded, her wedding ring seemed to weigh a lot heavier at the moment. Funny how that happened when something drastic was going on involving your spouse.

"I'm his wife."

The ward clerk sat down, moving the other files to the side. "Okay good. We actually need you to sign a few papers since your husband is obviously not in the right mindset to do so at the moment." She smirked, putting a small packet on a clipboard.

The tone that the ward clerk had made Tami feel sick. How could she be so impersonal about this? Granted, it was her job not to get emotionally attached but when dealing with someone's family you have to watch how you phrase things out. She ignored it, she already had enough drama going on that she let it slide, hell maybe it was her own imagination.

Tami twirled her wedding ring around on her finger again, glancing over all of the jumbled words in front of her. Some terms seemed to stick out to her. Many were things she'd never expect to deal with until they were old and gray together, not when they were in their early 40's.

_DNR._

_Surgery complications._

_The right to treat unconscious person(s)._

_Religion in case a chaplain should be paged._

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. "What exactly am I looking at here?" She felt stupid asking the question but she herself really wasn't in the mood to deal with legalities at the moment.

The ward clerk clicked her pen on her teeth, giving another smirk. "It's just giving us the power of attorney signature to administer drugs and care when the patient is incoherent and can't do it themselves. We just need you to sign it for legal purposes."

Tami nodded again, that seemed to be the only thing she could do. She glanced over everything, making sure she wasn't signing their life away and then handed the papers back. "Just do what you have to do to get my husband better."

The girl nodded. "Have a seat, we'll have Dr. Piendaz come out and inform you of the situation when things are stable."

* * *

One of the hardest parts about being in a hospital or around a hospital was the waiting. The speculation alone could drive someone to depths of insanity that no one wants to be in. Waiting on any sort of news also gives a person time to reflect and reminisce. She couldn't seem to let go of Julie's hand. Her daughter didn't deserve to see her father that way, no one deserved it regardless of who they were.

She couldn't help but think about the good times with Eric, as well as the bad. The first time she had seen Eric she knew they had a future together. It was in college in Texas History, a class both of them enjoyed going to, not just because it was interesting but also because they were in there together. Then memories of their first kiss crept up, the first time they made love, her pregnancy with Julie.

She would never forget the night he proposed to her. They had gone out for a drive in the country and down to the river. She had to wear gloves, it was a cold night and she couldn't stand her hands being cold but Eric was so set on her taking them off, and it never hit her why until later.

_"Why are you wearing those gloves? Why don't you take them off?"_

_"Are you crazy, it's cold out!"_

_"Just take them off, I'm not wearing any either."_

He had tried so hard to mask why, and it finally had dawned on her that he wanted them off so he could slip the ring on her finger. She didn't even hesitate to say yes. It was one of the most secure decisions she had ever made, and here they were 18 years later, still married. She just never knew that they'd be here, sitting in an ER waiting to find out if he'd come out alive from a gunshot wound a student had inflicted on them.

Looking up, she saw Dr. Piendaz headed their way, it had to be. She quickly swallowed hard, her nerves making her hands cold and clammy as she stood up. She could read him like a book and knew the news probably wasn't going to be the best for them. She fought back more tears, there was no time to cry right now with the doctor standing there.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Piendaz. Are you the Taylor family?"

"Yes, I'm Tami and this is our daughter, Julie."

He shook both of their hands and gave a comforting smile, trying to relax the very tense women in front of him.

"The bullet pierced through his abdomen as you know. There was extensive internal damage to the pyloric opening as well as the gastric canal. The good news is that the aorta went untouched, there was no damage to it." He paused, noticing that they still really had no answers to this puzzle. "I managed to get in and get the bullet out, there was no exit wound. Those are hollow organs which means that so far everything is going okay, but I hate to say that he is not out of the woods yet."

Tami wiped away several tears. "Explain why you say that."

"A stomach injury is something that has to be monitored all of the time. We have to admit him in to the intensive care unit. Wounds like this can go septic which means an infection can occur and it can happen fast enough that we won't be able to stop it. There is some good news though, Mrs. Taylor." He lowered his voice, extending his hand out to give her some comfort. "He's lucky that the bullet didn't puncture a solid organ like his spleen or liver."

"Can I see him?"

"ICU has very intense visiting hours, but since he's a new admit you can go in for a few minutes. He's not awake, he's under some extreme pain medicine and his body is still overcoming some shock."

"What can we do to help him?" She wasn't sure if that was a redundant question or not, but it's all she could think to ask.

"Pray for him. He's in good hands, this is an excellent hospital. We'll keep a good eye on him for you."

"Thank you Dr. Piendaz."

They slowly walked behind his curtain in ICU. That's all he had between him and his nurse. ICU always seemed so out in the open with no privacy, but that's how it had to be to get the one on one care he obviously needed. He had several IV's in his arm as well as oxygen over his nose. He was now in a gown and had a Foley catheter since he couldn't move.

His skin was extremely pale but he looked more at ease from the morphine they were pumping in to his system. He was completely motionless but the monitors above him showed he had a pulse oximeter reading of 92 and a heart rate of 50 which was good since he was in such deep sleep. She ran her fingers through his black hair, letting more tears flow. Julie stood by as well but just stood and stared, she couldn't even think of anything else to do.

Tami grabbed her hand as well as Eric's left hand and began to pray.

"God, I know your presence is in this room right now. We just ask that you be here with Eric today. Stand over his body and help him fight through this. Comfort him, let him be strong, bless him. We just ask that you let him make it through, just help him…"

_TBC….. Yes I know, another dang cliffhanger! My next update will be just as quick! _


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/n: **Here is chapter 6. It's kind of emotional so please let me know what you think! It's a tad bit long but what can I say, I couldn't find a good stopping point! My muse was on a roll!_

_**Special Thanks: JoeDude, Aldea0402, reid, whitefire24. **Your replies are greatly appreciated. You guys are what keep me writing so I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!_

_**Chapter Six**_

Patience. Webster's Dictionary defines this word as the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. But Tami was doing exactly the opposite no matter how she fought off the urge to be the opposite of the things listed above.

There were so many things she could think of that she hated at the moment. She hated the cold dead walls of the intensive care waiting room. She hated the strict visiting hours they put up. She could only see Eric 6 hours out of the day and that wasn't near long enough, despite the fact that he was still unconscious. Most of all, she hated the fact that her husband was lying in a semi private bed, his future uncertain.

Questions flooded her mind like floodgates on a lake dam, the main and most important one being _why? _She had always heard people say, "it could happen to anyone" but she never really gave it a second thought. There was always the thought of something happening to Eric but she seemed to have a knack for pushing it to the back of her mind. She already had enough worries and stress so it was best that she didn't even brush up on what if's and could have's. This was like a movie you'd go see on a Saturday afternoon, not something that would happen in real life, not in Dillon, Texas and not to her husband who led a Christian life and helped whoever he came across.

Wiping a tear away, she stared at a family sitting across from her, they too were counting down the seconds as to when they'd open up the ICU doors for visiting hours, revealing many patients that were in serious condition that needed the love and support of their family and friends. So far no one from school had came in but she was sure later on they'd all start to stop by, offering their help on whatever needed to be done. She had also called his parents, and their plane was landing later that evening from Dallas.

The phone call with his mother was the worst. What do you say to a mother whose son was just shot? "Hey Mrs. Taylor, Eric was shot today by a student... how are you doing?" Thankfully she didn't say that but it was hard to find the appropriate words in that situation. His mother took it pretty hard and even though she tried to hide it, Tami could hear it in her voice. The shaky words, the long breaks of awkward silence and the abrupt decision to fly down to see her son. His dad didn't say much; he handled his worry a bit different.

The doctor's words echoed in her mind.

_"He's not out of the woods yet." _

She hated that term, now more than ever. She just wished that he'd wake up and be fine, that this was a nightmare that would be gone when the annoying sound from the alarm clock went off, waking her from such a horrible slumber. It wasn't the case though; this was all a harsh reality. Eric was in bad shape and the only thing she could think to do was pray like she had never prayed before. It was the only comfort she could find in the dark cave she seemed to be walking through at the moment.

Julie on the other hand was still in a bit of a shock. She still wasn't sure if this had happened. It all played out in front of her so fast that she still hadn't grasped her bearings yet. All she could think about was how much she had been fighting with her father lately. She felt terrible about how rude she was when all he'd try to do was protect her, even up to the last moments before he got shot. He had stepped in front of her, guarding her from Reyes and the gun that he had in his grasp.

She leaned her head against the wall behind her chair as she closed her eyes. Quickly she opened them; all she could see when they were shut were her father's blood, pooling in front of her at her mom's office. She wanted to get up and walk off but her legs wouldn't move. She also wanted Matt but no one from school had come up yet; they were all probably waiting to hear from them first and neither her nor her mother had made an attempt to call anyone, not at the moment anyway.

She opened the face of her phone, watching her display move in front of her. That was another fight her and her dad had, the fact that the display she had bought for the phone was $2.99 for a stupid flower that fluttered across the screen. They fought about some of the dumbest things and that made her conscience feel even worse.

"You want to call someone?" Tami noticed her daughter fidgeting with her phone. "People from school probably want to know what's going on. You know if you tell one person the whole town will know within 15 minutes."

Julie nodded but kept her eyes down. "I thought about calling Matt."

"Go ahead. I'll call a few people here in a little bit, I still don't think I can handle their kindness at the moment."

Julie stepped out of the waiting room to dial her boyfriend's number. She couldn't stand hearing other people gabbing on their phone so she was going to be considerate and take it somewhere private. She was so shaky that she almost couldn't even dial out the seven digits.

It rang twice and Matt quickly answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Matt, its Julie."

"Hey, how are you doing?" Matt wasn't sure what to say, her dad was just shot for crying out loud, and of course she wasn't doing well.

"He's in ICU right now so we can't see him much. The doctors say he's in bad shape. I can't talk long cause we can go in and see him here in a little bit but please tell everyone for me okay? Feel free to come up too if you'd like, we just can't crowd his room."

"Okay, I'll let the team know. Thanks for calling me."

Julie wiped away a tear and tried to hide that she was crying. "I'm sorry I can't talk long. I'll see you later." She quickly closed the face on her phone and went back to her mother's side. She didn't want to be away from her for a long period of time.

* * *

Eric could barely see things around him. It was as if opening his eyes was a hard accomplishment. His eyelids were so heavy that he could barely hold them open for a few seconds, if at all. The moments he did have them open things were so blurry that he had no idea where he was and why he felt the pain he was feeling.

His nurse took note to his movement and stood by his bed. So many times patients in his state of mind got confused and began ripping out IV's and central lines that were vital for their recovery.

He turned his head side to side. He had never felt the confusion he was feeling. Where was Tami? He always woke up next to Tami in bed. Who was this blob-like figure standing over him? Why was his body warning him not to move because every time he did pain would shoot through all of his limbs? He finally took notice to the IV's sticking in his body and pulled on one of the cords but the nurse was quick to react, restraining him.

"Coach, you are in the hospital. I need you to calm down."

That caused him to open his eyes all of the way. The hospital? What was he doing in the hospital? He moved his lips to try to speak but nothing came out, just a small muffled sound. His throat was so dry that it felt as if someone had lit a match down it.

"You are in the intensive care unit."

He fought hard to get the question out that he wanted but nothing. He could not remember what happened to him no matter how hard he tried. He strained to sit up but felt the nurse push him back down. Why was she being so frustrating? He wanted to find Tami and Julie and go home, that's all he wanted.

"Your wife and daughter will be here in about 5 minutes, that's when visiting hours are."

Eric closed his eyes. The hospital. A place he despised and now he was stuck in one with no recollection as to what put him here. Maybe Tami could read his mind and answer him since this nurse obviously couldn't or just wasn't making an effort to. Thankfully Tami and Julie walked behind his curtain and that caused the nurse to step out and give them what little privacy they could have.

"Hey Eric, you are awake finally." Tami sat down in the chair beside his bed, running her fingers through his messy hair. "How are you feeling?" She had to admit it was quite a relief to see his eyes open. He had been out most of the day and she thought he might never wake up.

He winced and tried to talk again and just like Tami did, she could tell exactly what he wanted. She poured some water in to a styro-foam cup and handed it to him. She wasn't sure if it was okay but it was obvious that he was thirsty so she went ahead and tried to comfort him the best she could.

He let out a sigh; water had never tasted so good to him. "What…happened?" It took all of his energy to get that small sentence out, almost as if he just got done running a marathon.

Tami looked over at Julie, her brow creased and that butterfly feeling you feel when you are nervous was present. She grabbed her husband's hand and licked her lips, bracing herself to give him the news of what happened.

"You were shot in the stomach."

Eric closed his eyes yet again; taking in the words his wife had just spoken like a ton of bricks landing on him. That explained the pain he was in, but not a lot of the other questions lingering over him. What did he do to get shot? Who did it? Why couldn't he remember something so tragic? Were they okay? That was the next question he had to ask.

"You…okay?" He let out another deep breath. Every word he spoke caused a dull ache in his abdomen but he didn't care, it was important to get these questions answered.

"We are fine. You stood in front of us so we wouldn't get hit." She tried not to cry in front of him but she couldn't stop the tears from flooding down her cheeks. "I'm sorry this happened Eric."

"Who?"

"Reyes did it. He was upset about being kicked off of the team and cornered us in my office. As I said, you pushed us behind my desk and took the gunshot at point blank range."

The nurse interrupted their conversation as she entered behind the curtain with a long syringe. "I'm sorry to interrupt but it's time for another dose of his morphine. I hate to give this during visiting hours because it makes him drowsy but he definitely needs this."

Tami nodded, glancing at her daughter who stayed quiet through all of this. The poor girl looked like she wanted to throw up at any second. Fifteen years old and having to deal with this. She was 41 and having a hard time, she could only imagine the mental turmoil that Julie was going through. His parents would be here later tonight but too late to see him so they'd have to wait until the morning. She wasn't sure if Eric wanted them to see him like this but there was no keeping them away.

She averted her attention back to the nurse who was inserting it through a port on his IV about a foot above his hand. It was almost instant relief for Eric and she was glad. Before the dose of the strong painkiller it was evident that he was hurting, just by the way he was wincing and holding his body.

The nurse left minutes later, leaving them alone yet again. She gripped Eric's hand, grasping it tightly to see if he had a response. Surprisingly he squeezed back. His eyelids began to grow heavy again and Tami and Julie were becoming a huge blur to him. He hadn't even spoke to Julie and felt bad so he quickly turned his head to face her.

"Hey baby." His words were so quiet that they were almost a whisper.

"Hey daddy." She grabbed his other hand. They felt so cold yet he had sweat on his brow. "You feel okay?"

He gave her a small nod. "Just…sleepy." He wanted to fight his sleep and stay up with his girls but the morphine proved to be stronger than his willpower and his body drifted off into a deep sleep. He had weird dreams before but the medicine they had him on gave him nightmares and thoughts he never knew he could think up.

Tami and Julie stayed in as long as they could until visiting hours were over, watching their husband and father sleep, praying every chance they could and hoping he'd get well soon and be able to walk away from this hospital as if nothing had happened to him. A few people from school showed up as well but only could stay a few minutes so they wouldn't crowd the room. Jason, Matt and Lila were among a few of the students as well as the principal and a few of Eric's coaching staff. Tami was glad they came but also relieved when they left. She felt so overwhelmed; it wasn't that she wanted to be rude. It was good to know there were people who cared but she wanted as much time with him as she could even though he was sleeping.

_(Eric's dream)_

His dream was almost psychedelic. He could see faces of people from his past as well as those present in his future. Faces of his football players shooting out from the vibrant colors, each of them flashing in and out, back and forth around him.

The dream was as if someone was switching a channel on the TV because he then found himself in a dark tunnel, all alone and closed in away from all civilization. He quickly gasped for air, panicking to get out of the entrapment he was in. He ran as fast as he could, making it through but then found himself in a dark forest where everything was blurry and dreary to him.

Tami was there, standing off in the distance. She stood out; she was the only thing in his vision that was in fact not blurry. He tried walking to her but something held him back, something that would not allow him to get near his wife. He yelled out her name as loud as he could, it echoing through the woods around them.

"TAMI!" She didn't respond, she just kept walking down the trail that led her away from him. Why wasn't she answering him? He called for her again but Julie then appeared. She too was not blurry but walking with her mother away from him. He pulled hard on whatever was restraining him but it gave no leverage.

Within a split second the two most important women in his life disappeared, leaving him alone in the blurry forest. He tried not to panic as sweat poured into his eyes. He had to get to them; he had to find them. Why were things so strange and why was he so confused?

_(ICU Room)_

Quickly his eyes jolted open and he was back in his hospital room, awake and flustered. He was sweating and the pull he had been feeling was the tie down that the nurse had put on him to keep him from pulling his central line out when he woke up and didn't know where he was. Thankfully his vision was clear enough to see the clock on the wall. It was after midnight. His pain wasn't as bad as it was earlier but it was definitely present. He had sweat so much that the sheets under him were wet.

He tried to shift his weight but that was a big mistake. His body quickly warned him to stop moving and that's what he did. He was tired of lying in the same position but if it meant him being comfortable that's what he'd do at the moment. He stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds around him. ICU sure was a noisy place, even more so at night than during the day.

The lights around him were bright and he was surprised that he could get any rest, but the medicine he was on knocked him out for hours and hours and sometimes he wished they didn't. He had been having eerie dreams like the one he just had for awhile and he was scared to go to sleep.

He finally had some time to do some coherent thinking. He still couldn't remember a lot of what had happened to him but he knew exactly why. Reyes was always a kid with a short fuse and kicking him off of the team obviously lit a fire under him. He never thought that Reyes could take it as far as this but that's why they say to never underestimate people. They can do some pretty surprising things.

A feeling of fear instantly took over. What kind of shape was he in? Tami didn't say much about that, just what had happened. He definitely had no experience in the medical field so all of the terms everyone was using were like a different language to him. He knew being in ICU meant he wasn't in real good shape but at least the best staff was around him. Getting answers in a hospital was like pulling teeth though, no matter what was wrong with the person.

He glanced up at the ceiling again; it was the only clear view he had of anything at the moment. He really wished Tami could be here with him. She was good company even if they didn't talk. The thought of someone by his bedside was comforting but sadly he was alone wondering what his future might hold for him. He was relieved to know that nothing had happened to her or Julie. He wasn't sure how he could handle if they were laid up in a bed in serious condition like he was.

Then another realization hit. The football game was tomorrow. What would they do? There was no way he'd be out tomorrow. Would McGill coach it for him? Would they forfeit the game for the circumstances? There's no way they could do that, it would ruin their season for sure. He ran his hand over his forehead. He needed to stop worrying about every little thing and focus on his recovery but it was hard not to. When you are left alone in a hospital bed with nothing but white walls around you that's all your body would do was think…and think some more.

A different nurse entered his room with the same familiar syringe filled with morphine. She inserted it into his IV and within minutes he was out cold again, his mind brewing up more strange dreams for him to analyze later if he could remember them.

* * *

Tami was about to doze off on her couch when she took notice to a few of the family pictures she had sitting on the mantle across the room. She knew they were there, they had been there since they had moved in to the house back in the summertime before school started. This time she actually sat and looked at the pictures rather than glancing at them as she walked by.

There was a couple of her and Eric before they were married. A picture of them both dressed up at one of his college get togethers, one of them at the beach down at Corpus Christi, and then a picture of them together at their wedding reception. They both looked so young and happy together, like anything could happen and they'd stand strong and face it. That's what she knew they had to do in this situation as well. The Taylor family was strong and this was a test God had put down on the earth for them to deal with.

She then glanced at a family picture of all three of them together. Julie was only 9 but still basically looked the same. She hadn't changed much. They all three were smiling. She ran her fingers over the frame that was carved by hand, their last name cascaded across the top. They could do this. This would be another memory for them to recall later on, she knew it. Eric was strong and he'd pull through, they always had in tense times.

The telephone across the room rang, interrupting her thoughts. It was his parents letting her know that they were pulling into the driveway in case she was asleep. She opened the front door and turned on the porch light, revealing their gray Chevy Tahoe parked behind the Explorer.

His mom stepped out, instantly pulling her into a hug. "How was my baby today?"

Tami held her tears, hugging her as tight as she could. "He was awake. He talked to both Julie and I. It's a huge step in his recovery."

His father stood to the side. He wasn't much for showing emotions but Tami could tell that this was really bothering him. He didn't have to say anything for them to know that.

His mother pulled away, giving a comfort smile. "I guess that's all we can wish for. Eric will be just fine soon, nothing can keep my boy down."

* * *

_TBC……this time it's not such a bad cliffhanger! I hope you enjoyed!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Notes: **__I hate to say this but this is the final chapter of Friction! I just want to let everyone know that this was a HARD chapter for me to write. It's hard writing such an emotional story when your mood doesn't exactly fit it, so if things seem a little off that might be why. I hope you enjoyed this story, please let me know! The lyrics at the end belong to Billy Dean, I do not own them!_

_**Special Thanks: **__First off to Cosmic Castaway. She read some of this despite the fact that she's not too familiar with this fandom. I appreciate your help girlie. Also to all of you who have sent me reviews and feedback: __**Maryilee, whitefire24, me, and JoeDUDE. **__Thanks for taking the time to read as well as review, I totally appreciate it!_

**_Friction Chapter Seven: The Conclusion_**

If there were no townspeople visiting before there surely were some at the hospital now. The moment Tami arrived the next morning she was bombarded by familiar faces of concerned people who lived within and around Dillon. She grabbed on to Julie mainly for support; she still wasn't ready to be hounded by them even if they were trying to help.

Eric's parents were coming up when visiting hours started, Tami always came long before in hopes that she'd catch one of his doctor's passing by or get some good news. That and the fact that she couldn't stay at home within the walls of her house she shared with Eric, it hurt her too much and her mind would get to thinking too much about things.

The main face that stuck out in the crowd of people was Buddy Garrity. She almost snarled at the site of him. He didn't care about Eric as a person, he was worried about the game tonight and how it would be handled. Heaven forbid they forfeit, the team's record was much more important than the life of her husband. She tried to force a smile at some of the people but it was too fake, she just wanted to hide behind a corner and scream.

She sat down in a chair near the exit of the waiting room even though they still had about an hour to kill before they opened up the doors to ICU. The mayor was there, Buddy, and a lot of the football team. She was glad to see them there and if coach were awake he'd appreciate it too.

She began to speak, hoping to break the awkwardness that was all around them.

"They only let 2 people in at a time. I appreciate you all coming to show your support and I'll let Eric know that you came. Right now I think he just wants family behind the curtains and his parents will be up here later."

She tried to phrase it as best as she could. She implied that they could go home, that they wouldn't get to see him and she hoped that they understood. It was thoughtful that they took time out of the day to come but right now it was vital that the family had time together.

Matt, Smash, and Tim approached Julie and Tami and it was quite surprising seeing Tim there since he had such a hard time visiting Jason when he was in the hospital, but it was more comforting than they could ever understand. Matt pulled Julie in for a tight hug trying to hold back his tears and be strong for her.

"Your dad is going to be fine. He's made it this far."

Julie dug her face into his chest allowing some tears to fall and soak into his shirt. She didn't want to let go of him.

"If you don't mind, Mrs. Taylor, we'd like to hang out here in the waiting room. There's really nothing else we can do." Riggins looked Tami straight in the eye, swallowing hard from the effort it took to get that phrase out.

"Of course you can stay. But don't feel like you have to, he'll know you came." She looked at the crowd of people standing around. "He'll know all of you took time out of your busy schedule and came. We truly appreciate it."

The hour before visiting hours started seemed like a lifetime to her. Some of the people had gone home; the majority that stayed were athletes on the football team. They all looked so lost and confused, like nothing like this should happen to there coach whom they viewed as immortal. He was their leader and now he lay helpless in an ICU bed from a gunshot wound caused by the hand of a past fellow teammate.

Her mind quickly went to Reyes. The cold lifeless look in his eyes, the desperation in his voice, the tears that fell from his eyes as he shook the handgun in front of her and her family.

Thankfully Reyes was in Dillon Police custody but she still was unnerved that this had happened in the innocent hallways of the small high school. But then again, you can never underestimate people, regardless of the geographic location of where you are. It can happen anywhere at any time, for any reason. She just never thought it would happen to her.

It was now 10:05 and a hand on her shoulder made her jump. It was Eric's parents. They had just arrived. She looked up at them, giving a quaint smile as she did.

"You two go see him, he'll be glad you are here."

"Are you sure?" His mother asked. "We can wait if you'd like to go in."

Tami shook her head no, wiping her nose with a white Kleenex. "Go on, you haven't seen him yet. You deserve to see your son."

* * *

Eric was awake when his parents walked in, but his vision was still a blur so he couldn't tell who it was until his mother spoke. He forced a smile, surprised to see them. He pushed the button on the side of the bed, raising it up to about a 45-degree angle where he could see them a little better.

"How you feeling Eric?"

He lifted his hand up, moving it side to side to let them know he was feeling okay. He still couldn't talk well; it caused him a lot of pain to do much of anything. The morphine seemed to not even be working much anymore.

His mom ran her hand across his forehead. It was evident he had a fever.

"You are burning up."

His father sat down beside the bed, still remaining quiet. Eric looked at him through the corner of his eye, feeling awkward that his father was seeing him like this. He shifted his weight but groaned in pain from it, it was obvious his body was not yet ready to move much at all. He licked his lips and attempted to speak.

"Dad…" His voice was low and raspy.

"Yeah son?" His father grabbed his hand, seeing two IV's stuck in his vein. His hand was already pretty bruised up from all of the drugs being pushed into it.

"Thanks….I appreciate you…" He took in a deep breath; it was as if he was running a long distance just to spit those few words out. "…Coming."

His mom went to the other side of the bed, grabbing his other hand.

"Don't speak. Get as much rest as you can."

She looked at her husband, motioning that she was going to exit for a minute. Her next mission was to find a nurse associated with him and get some answers about his fever. His skin was extremely pale and he looked horrible, like he wasn't making much process in recovery.

No one would stop what they were doing to give her the time of day so her only thought was to get Tami. She didn't want to worry her much more with things but her worst fear was hospital room neglect. It was their job to answer any medical questions they had, and this was a huge one weighing over her mind.

Tami was in the same chair as before and Eric's mom approached her, not wanting to send panic through her daughter in law.

"Tami, do you know the name of Eric's nurse?"

She shook her head no, sitting up. "Not this morning I don't, I haven't been in there. It changes day to day."

"Will you come help me find her?"

Tami stood up, straightening out her clothes from sitting down for so long. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, but he's really hot. How about you go see him and tell me if he looks better than yesterday."

Tami walked to his bed, peaking around the curtain. She didn't want Eric to see her yet since she had to quickly leave. His dad was sitting beside him and it was quiet. It looked like Eric was dozing off for sleep but to her observation he looked horrible, definitely worse than last night and that was only 12 hours ago. She took note to the name on the dry erase board, the nurse's name was Jennifer.

She closed the curtain quickly. "You stay here with your husband; I'll search Jennifer down and make her come explain it to us. Everything is fine, I'm sure a fever is okay from the shock he's going through but I'll get her to confirm it."

Luckily Jennifer passed her as she walked down to the nurse's station; she saw her name on her name badge and quickly stopped her.

"Are you the one handling Eric Taylor in bed 7?"

Jennifer nodded, bracing a chart up against her chest. "Yes I am. What can I help you with?"

Tami tried not to fidget to show how nervous she was but she was on the verge of a breakdown so it was evident she couldn't sit still. She ran her hands through her hair and finally controlled herself enough to spit out the question.

"He's running a fever. He looks a lot worse today than he did yesterday. Is there something going on with him that you know of?"

Jennifer flipped through the chart she had with her, coincidentally it was Eric's. She glanced at some notes she had jotted down and looked back up at Tami.

"The last time his temperature was taken he was at 99.6 which is okay for someone that's not active at the moment."

"When was it taken?"

"At 6:45 this morning."

Tami gave out a scoff. She was no medical expert but that was well over 3 hours ago and fevers do jump in that time period.

"Look Jennifer, I know you are the professional and I'm just the one left here twiddling my thumbs but something isn't right. Yesterday he looked amazing. He had color in his skin, he was awake and alert, and today it has been a complete 180, like he's backtracking." She paused, wiping a tear away that had gathered under her bottom eyelid. "Can you please go check him out? Just to ease our minds."

Jennifer stared at Tami for a moment as if the question was too complex for her to understand.

"Yeah, I can do that."

They both walked together to his bed where she took his vital signs, checked his temperature and asked him a round of questions to make sure his mind was still working okay. She also checked his stomach where the wound was, making sure it was clean and not forming an infection.

"Eric, can you tell me where you are?" Her voice was raised to try and wake him up more.

He didn't respond at first but opened his eyes.

"Eric, can you tell me where you are?" She asked again, flashing a flash light into his green eyes, causing him to flinch and squint.

He licked his dry lips but mustered out what he could. "At..home."

"No Eric, you are in the hospital. Can you tell me what day it is?"

He looked frustrated from the questions because he couldn't think up the answers to things as simple as this. He took in a deep breath, staring at Tami as if he was pleading for her help.

In his mind all he could think about was why he was in so much pain. He vaguely remembered the day before. He remembered Tami telling him about being shot but it was so distant in his memory that it was as if he dreamt it. He wanted to wake up and this be a nightmare but the pain he was feeling was making it all too real.

Everything around him was beginning to wave in and out as if he was hallucinating things and the voices around him got more distant as if he were walking away from them. He reached out for Tami and felt a hand grab him and could hear the nurse but not what she was saying. He fought it off but quickly dozed off after feeling his body go numb. Everything went black to him.

Tami watched him pass out and heard a monitor over his head beep. She squeezed his hand but this time he didn't squeeze back, instead his hand went limp. She quickly averted her eyes to Jennifer who had her eyes on the monitor.

"Do something!" Was all Tami could say, she was so confused.

Jennifer hit the emergency button, calling in the nearest doctor that could assist her.

"Blood pressure is at 60 over 40 and falling! Get a doctor in here!" Jennifer pushed past Tami and his parents. "I'm going to have to ask you to step out, we need room in here."

Tami didn't move but somehow ended up out of ICU and back in the waiting room. She wanted to be there, to see what was happening with her husband but there was absolutely no room for the medical workers to do their thing, so she was faced with the team and Julie and had no way to tell them what was going on.

She didn't have to though, they all read her mind. Julie pulled her in for a hug. "What's going on mom?"

Tami felt so weak that she had to sit down. It was as if the room was caving in on her. "I'm not sure what's going on hon, they have to work on daddy right now."

Before they knew it the whole waiting room was crowded around, each of them silent as they said their own silent prayers and kept their thoughts on Coach Taylor and whatever might be going on in bed 7 with him.

* * *

"Heart rate is at 200, pulse is weak and thready. He has a fever of 103!"

A doctor injected his right leg with cephalosporin, a drug intended on helping with toxic shock to the body. Eric's body didn't respond to it and he was still unconscious with a low blood pressure, fast heart rate and very faint pulse.

Within seconds his heart flat lined, sending a high pitched tone throughout the ICU area. One moment he was awake and talking to his family, and within minutes his body went into shock, causing panic and hustle throughout the intensive care unit.

* * *

Tami and Julie sat alone in the waiting room. They had prayed the entire time but she just couldn't get her mind off of what was going on with her husband. She kept glancing up to see if a doctor was coming towards them to inform her of why it happened. About 30 minutes after she was sent out of the room an unfamiliar doctor approached them, taking off his surgical cap as he stopped in front of them.

"Mrs. Taylor?"

She nodded, standing up with Julie. His parents also gathered with them but the football team stayed back, it was too personal to form a crowd.

"How is my husband?"

He looked down at the floor and back up at her.

"His body went into septic shock."

She frowned, not sure what that was. "What exactly is that?"

"His body developed an infection from the gunshot wound he sustained. Septic shock develops fast, within minutes sometimes. That's why one day he looked great and the next he was confused and running a high fever." He paused. "We gave him drugs to help stop it but it was too late. His body didn't respond and his heart stopped. We worked his heart as long as we could but never got it back to a workable rhythm. I'm sorry Mrs. Taylor, but your husband passed away."

It felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Eric was gone? No, he couldn't be gone. He was just awake and talking! She wanted to run and scream and see that he was fine, sitting up in his bed and smiling. That wasn't the case though and the worst thing she could do at the moment was put herself in denial about it.

Julie broke down into tears. Matt held onto her tight, he couldn't believe it either and all he knew was he never wanted to see Julie like this, for her not to feel this type of pain. It just wasn't fair.

"Can we see him?" Tami braced herself enough to speak in between sobs.

"Only the family."

The four of them took that slow walk back, pulling the curtain open to see the sheet covered over his body. Tami wanted to puke; there was the love of her life, lying under the white cotton sheet, his life gone from his body. She slowly pulled the sheet away from his face. His eyes were closed, he looked at peace and free from pain.

There he was, the man she had fallen in love with so long ago. The man she married, shared life with, made love to, and made it through all of the hard times with. He was gone. There was no more to Eric Taylor except his lifeless body and the memories she had with him. How could this happen? It was just a gunshot wound to his stomach; the doctor had said there was no imminent danger to his organs.

Julie held on to her mother tightly. She'd never have her dad walk her down the aisle when she married, her kids would never know their grandfather, and she'd never get to hug him again. That's all she wanted, was to hug him one more time, to tell him that she loved him.

"I love you Eric." Tami whispered. "I'll never be able to say goodbye. It's see you later."

* * *

The funeral was 4 days later at the Dillon Baptist Church. The church wasn't big enough to accommodate those that attended; there were many that stood out in the courtyard, listening to the sermon through loud speakers. They chose an open casket so everyone could say their final good-byes.

A large picture of Eric was framed over the casket, a picture of him smiling after a big win that Dillon had over a town near here that was a huge rival of there's.

Tami was asked to speak in honor of her husband and she wasn't sure if she could, but she gained enough courage to do this for him, the last thing she could do for him. She unfolded the small piece of paper and cleared her throat, sighing as she looked up at all of the faces there.

"First of all, I never expected to be speaking in front of you about a subject like this. The Taylor family is so used to speaking at athletic booster meetings and pep rallies, not at funerals for our own." She flattened out the paper more and began again. "Seeing all of you here means so much to Julie and I, and I'm sure Eric is somewhere smiling as well. He wouldn't want us to cry, it's not his style. He'd want us to get back on that football field and beat every opponent we crossed, not sitting in some church crying over him."

She turned and faced his picture.

"Eric, we will be crying over you. I'll cry for you everyday until I can get over this. You were such a great person getting over you will never be easy. It's safe to say that many people's hearts are broken from this."

She faced back to the people.

"I could stand here and list all of Eric's great qualities but we all know what they were. Anyone that knew Eric can summarize him with one word. Caring. He took in every problem and helped as best as he could. He loved with everything he had, and he loved his athletes. Now we can honor Eric one more time as I said before, and that's taking the football field and continuing the tradition of Dillon Panther Football, and that's winning. Let's go win, let's honor this great coach whose time was ended all too short of what it should've been. If we could, we'd say thank you for doing what you did. We'll never have that chance again. Coach Eric Taylor, may angels lead you in."

_Once in a while, I still hear his voice.  
That one in a million sound,  
Like two laughin' boys.  
He would hate it if we cried,  
That never was his style.  
Oh, we still miss him ev'ry once in a while._

The End.


End file.
